Mixed metal materials

ABSTRACT

The invention includes a method of forming a material which comprises at least two elements. More specifically, the method comprises providing an electrolytic cell comprising a cathode, an anode, and an electrolytic solution extending between the cathode and anode. A metallic product is electrolytically formed within the electrolytic cell. The forming of the metallic product comprises primarily electrorefining of a first element of the at least two elements and primarily electrowinning of a second element of the at least two elements. The invention also includes a mixed metal product comprising at least two elements, such as a product comprising tantalum and titanium.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to methods of electrolytically forming materialscomprising at least two elements, and in particular applicationspertains to methods of forming materials comprising tantalum andtitanium. The invention also pertains to mixed metal materials, such asmaterials comprising tantalum and titanium. In addition, the inventionpertains to sputtering targets made of mixed metal materials, such astargets comprising tantalum and titanium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous applications exist in which it can be desired to form materialscomprising two or more elements provided in a substantially homogenousdistribution of the elements. For instance, it can be desired to formphysical vapor deposition (PVD) targets comprising two or more metallicelements uniformly distributed throughout the targets. Frequently, it isdifficult to combine two or more elements into a homogenous mixture whentheir melting points and/or densities are far apart. For example, therecould be an interest to develop an alloyed titanium-tantalum target.However, making an alloyed titanium-tantalum ingot is impractical withconventional techniques. A large difference between the melting pointsof titanium and tantalum (1670° C. for titanium and 2996° C. fortantalum) makes it impractical to melt titanium together with tantalumin an e-beam furnace. Titanium would be simply vaporized at the meltingpoint of tantalum. In addition, the large difference in densities (4.5g/cm³ for titanium and 16 g/cm³ for tantalum) would be troublesome whenpowder processing an alloy comprising both titanium and tantalum.Segregation could too easily take place. Additionally, because of agenerally higher gas content, powder processed targets are lesspreferred than melted and wrought targets.

It would be desirable to develop new methods for forming mixed metalalloy ingots, and it would be particularly desirable to develop methodswhich could be utilized to form titanium and tantalum alloy ingots. Moregenerally, it would be desirable to develop new methods for formingproducts comprising mixtures of two or more elements. It is known thatif an alloyed feedstock is melted, the melting point of the feedstock isbetween the melting points of components. Specifically, if an alloyedtitanium and tantalum piece were melted, it would melt at a temperaturein between the melting points of titanium and tantalum. The higher theportion of titanium in the piece, the lower would be the meltingtemperature. The lowering of the melting temperature could make themelting process much easier than for a material comprising puretantalum. Therefore, it could be desirable to develop new methods forpreparing tantalum materials diluted with titanium to form alloyedtantalum feedstocks for melting processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming a materialwhich comprises at least two elements. More specifically, the methodcomprises providing an electrolytic cell comprising a cathode, an anode,and an electrolytic solution extending between the cathode and anode. Ametallic product is electrolytically formed within the electrolyticcell. The forming of the metallic product comprises primarilyelectrorefining of a first element of the at least two elements andprimarily electrowinning of a second element of the at least twoelements.

In another aspect, the invention encompasses a method forelectrolytically forming a material, wherein an electrolytic cell isprovided which comprises a cathode, at least two anodes, and anelectrolytic solution extending between the cathode and the at least twoanodes. The at least two anodes comprise first and second anodes havingdifferent concentrations of a first element relative to another. Theelectrolytic solution comprises a compound which includes a secondelement. A metallic product is electrolytically formed with theelectrolytic cell. The metallic product comprises a mixture of the firstand second elements.

In yet another aspect, the invention encompasses a method forelectrolytically forming a product which comprises a mixture of tantalumand titanium.

In yet another aspect, the invention encompasses a mixed metal productcomprising at least two elements, such as a product comprising tantalumand titanium. The product comprising a mixture of the at least twoelements can be considered an alloyed product, and can be used asfeedstock for melting processes. In particular, a product comprisingtitanium and tantalum can be melted in an e-beam furnace to form atitanium-tantalum alloy ingot for further processing into a sputteringtarget.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of an apparatus which canbe utilized for methodology of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a second apparatuswhich can be utilized for methodology of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a sputteringtarget/backing plate structure which can be formed in accordance withmethodology of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top view of the structure of FIG. 3, with thecross-sectional view of FIG. 3 indicated by the line 3—3 of the figure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming amixed-metal product by electrolysis wherein one metal of mixed-metalproduct is formed by electrorefining and another metal of the product isformed by electrowinning. For purposes of interpreting this disclosureand the claims that follow, the term “electrorefining” is defined torefer to a process in which a metal is transferred from an anode of anelectrolytic apparatus to a cathode. Accordingly, electrorefiningencompasses dissolution of a metal at an anode and deposition of thesame metal at a cathode. In contrast, the term “electrowinning” isdefined as a process wherein metal is transferred from electrolyte to acathode. Accordingly, an electrowinning process does not requiredissolution of a metal from an anodic material.

A process of the present invention is described with reference to FIG.1. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary electrolytic cell 10comprising a cathode 12 and anode 14 which are electrically connectedthrough a power source (not shown) to provide a potential difference 16(i.e., a voltage) between the anode and cathode. Electrolytic cell 10further comprises a vessel 18 which retains an electrolyte solution 20therein. Vessel 18 comprises a furnace 22 and a liner 24 on an interiorsurface of furnace 22. Liner 24 can comprise, for example, graphite.Furnace 22 is utilized to maintain elecrolytic solution 20 above amelting temperature of the solution, and further can be utilized tomaintain a substantially constant temperature during an electrolyticprocess of the present invention. Electrolytic solution 20 extendsbetween cathode 12 and anode 14, and accordingly completes an electricalcircuit comprising cathode 12 and anode 14.

A reactant material 26 is shown joined with anode 14. Reactant material26 can comprise a first metallic element. Although the shown embodimenthas reactant material 26 provided as a discrete material relative toanode 14, it is to be understood that material 26 and anode 14 cancomprise a one-piece construction, with anode 14 having a substantiallyhomogenous composition of the first element. If the reactant material 26is provided as a separate piece from the remainder of anode 14, reactantmaterial 26 can be joined to the remainder of anode 14 through aconductive interface, such as, for example, through a conductive epoxy,or a welded, brazed, or solid-diffused joint. In alternativeembodiments, the anode 14 can have a cupped shape, and material 26 canbe retained within the cupped shape. For instance, anode 14 can beconfigured as a basket. In other embodiments, liner 24 can be utilizedas the anode, and material 26 can be provided on the bottom of vessel 18and lying in electrical connection with liner 24. As long as material 26is in electrical connection with the remainder of an anodic material,material 26 can be considered as being part of an anode during anelectrolytic operation. Accordingly, electrolytic operation willcomprise consumption of material from anodic component 26 andredeposition of the material onto cathode 12. In other words, theelectrolytic operation will comprise electrorefining of material fromanodic component 26.

In the shown embodiment, a product 28 is illustrated being formed arounda portion of cathode 12. Cathode 12 preferably comprises a materialwhich is non-reactive with product 28, so that product 28 can be readilyremoved from cathode 12 after an electrolytic process. To reducecontamination in the cathode deposit, it can be preferred to use thesame or a similar material as the cathode material. In particularapplications, cathode 12 can comprise, for example, a titanium rod.

Although product 28 is shown formed on cathode 12 in the illustratedprocess, it is to be understood that the invention encompasses otherembodiments wherein material 28 is formed relative to cathode 12 andthen shed from the cathode. In such embodiments, material 28 can becollected on a shelf (not shown) provided beneath cathode 12, or in abasket (not shown) surrounding a portion of cathode 12.

Electrolytic solution 20 comprises an element different from the elementwhich is electrorefined from anode 26. The element electrorefined fromanode 26 can be considered a first element, and the different element inelectrolytic solution 20 can be considered a second element. The secondelement can be provided as a compound within electrolytic solution 20,and in particular embodiments can be provided as a salt. The secondelement is transferred from solution 20 to product 28, and accordinglyis electrowon during the electrolytic operation of apparatus 10. Thefirst and second elements transferred to product 28 are typicallymetals, and accordingly product 28 can be a mixed-metal productcomprising a first metal formed by an electrorefining process and asecond metal formed by an electrowinning process.

The first and second metals of product 28 may not be formed entirely bythe eletrorefining and electrowinning processes, respectively. If anode26 comprises a mixture of both elements and the electrolytic process isoperated at a cell voltage sufficiently large for both metals to beanodically dissolved and cathodically deposited, an amount of the secondelement formed within product 28 will result from an electrorefiningprocess. Also, if there are contaminates containing the first elementwithin electrolyte 20, an amount of the first element within product 28will result from the electrowinning process. To account for suchcontributions of electrorefining and electrowinning, product 28 can bedescribed as being formed by primarily electrorefining of the firstelement from anode 26 and by primarily electrowinning of the secondelement from electrolyte 20. In such description, the term “primarily”indicates that there may be some electrowinning of the first element andsome electrorefining of the second element.

Although product 28 is described as comprising as a mixture of twoelements, it is to be understood that product 28 can also comprisemixtures of more than two elements. For example, a mixture of elementscan be provided in anodic component 26 so that more than one element iselectrorefined and formed in product 28 with the electrowon element fromelectrolyte 20. Alternatively, or additionally, more than one elementcan be provided within electrolyte 20 to be electrowon during theelectrorefining of one or more elements from anodic component 26. Themixed elements of product 28 will typically together define an alloycomposition.

Processing of the present invention can be utilized to form materials 28comprising mixtures of numerous elements. For instance, product 28 cancomprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, two or more oftantalum, titanium, hafnium, zirconium and niobium. Alternatively,product 28 can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of at leastone of tantalum, titanium, hafnium, zirconium and niobium in combinationwith at least one of vanadium, aluminum, chromium, and nickel. Inexemplary applications, product 28 can comprise a mixture of tantalumand titanium; titanium and hafnium; titanium and zirconium; titanium andvanadium; titanium and aluminum; titanium and chromium; tantalum andzirconium; tantalum and chromium; or tantalum and nickel.

In particular applications, product 28 can consist of, or consistessentially of, mixtures of titanium and other materials selected fromthe group consisting of one or more of hafnium, zirconium, tantalum,vanadium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and niobium. Such product cancomprise, for example, from about 5% titanium to about 95% titanium;from about 5% to about 25% titanium; from about 25% to about 50%titanium; from about 50% to about 75% titanium; or from about 75% toabout 95% titanium.

In other particular applications, product 28 can consist of, or consistessentially of, mixtures of tantalum and other materials selected fromthe group consisting of one or more of hafnium, zirconium, titanium,vanadium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and niobium. Such product cancomprise, for example, from about 5% tantalum to about 95% tantalum;from about 5% to about 25% tantalum; from about 25% to about 50%tantalum; from about 50% to about 75% tantalum; or from about 75% toabout 95% tantalum.

In yet other particular applications, product 28 can consist of, orconsist essentially of, mixtures of hafnium and other materials selectedfrom the group consisting of one or more of tantalum, zirconium,titanium, vanadium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and niobium. Suchproduct can comprise, for example, from about 5% hafnium to about 95%hafnium; from about 5% to about 25% hafnium; from about 25% to about 50%hafnium; from about 50% to about 75% hafnium; or from about 75% to about95% hafnium.

In yet other particular applications, product 28 can consist of, orconsist essentially of, mixtures of zirconium and other materialsselected from the group consisting of one or more of hafnium, tantalum,titanium, vanadium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and niobium. Suchproduct can comprise, for example, from about 5% zirconium to about 95%zirconium; from about 5% to about 25% zirconium; from about 25% to about50% zirconium; from about 50% to about 75% zirconium; or from about 75%to about 95% zirconium.

In yet other particular applications, product 28 can consist of, orconsist essentially of, mixtures of niobium and other materials selectedfrom the group consisting of one or more of hafnium, zirconium,titanium, vanadium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and tantalum. Suchproduct can comprise, for example, from about 5% niobium to about 95%niobium; from about 5% to about 25% niobium; from about 25% to about 50%niobium; from about 50% to about 75% niobium; or from about 75% to about95% niobium.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, product 28comprises a mixture of tantalum and titanium, wherein titanium is theelectrorefined element and tantalum is the electrowon element. In suchembodiment, titanium will be provided as an anodic material, and atantalum-containing compound will be provided within electrolyte 20. Thetantalum-containing compound can be a salt, such as, for example,K₂TaF₇. The titanium material of the anode can comprise relatively puretitanium, such as, for example, a material which is at least 99.9%titanium. Alternatively, the material can be a relativity impure form oftitanium, and the electrolytic process can be utilized to purify thetitanium during the electrorefining of the titanium and concomitantformation of titanium within product 28.

Electrolyte solution 20 is preferably maintained at a temperature offrom about 600° C. to about 850° C., and more preferably from about 700°C. to about 750° C., during formation of a titanium/tantalum product 28.

A relative ratio of the first and second elements to one another withinproduct 28 can be influenced and controlled by various parameters. Forexample, the concentration ratio of the first element to the secondelement in electrolyte 20 can alter the relative proportions of thefirst and second elements in product 28. Also the temperature ofelectrolyte 20 can influence the kinetics of various half reactions inthe cell and thus alter the relative proportions of the first and secondelements in product 28. Another method to control the relative ratio ofthe first and second elements to one another within product 28 isdescribed below as a second embodiment with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates an apparatus 50 comprising a cathode 52 and a pair ofanodes 54 and 56. Apparatus 50 further includes a vessel 58 comprising afurnace 80 and a liner 62; with an electrolyte solution 64 showncontained within vessel 58. Vessel 58 can comprise a constructionidentical to that described above with reference to vessel 18 of FIG. 1.Cathode 52 can comprise a construction identical to that described abovewith reference to cathode 12, and anode 54 can comprise a constructionidentical to that described above with reference to anode 14. Thedifference between the apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 and the apparatus 10 ofFIG. 1 is that apparatus 50 comprises a second anode 56, in addition tothe first anode 54. Anode 54 is coupled to cathode 52 through a firstvoltage (or potential) 68, and anode 56 is coupled to cathode 52 througha second voltage 70.

In the shown construction, first anode 54 is coupled with a reactantmaterial 66 which is to be electrorefined during electrolytic operationof apparatus 50. Anode 56, in contrast, is not coupled with a reactantmaterial. It is to be understood, however, that the inventionencompasses other embodiments (not shown) wherein anode 56 is coupledwith a reactant material. Preferably, in such constructions the reactantmaterial coupled with anode 56 will have a different concentration of anelement that is to be electrorefined than does the reactant material 66.

Electrolyte 64, like the electrolyte 20 of the FIG. 1 apparatus,comprises an element which is to be electrowon during electrolyticoperation of apparatus 50. In an exemplary application, this element canbe tantalum, and the reactant anodic material 66 can comprise titanium.

In operation, power is supplied to generate potentials 68 and 70, andsuch causes electrorefining of an element from anodic material 66 andelectrowinning of an element form electrolyte 64. The electrowon andelectrorefined elements together form a product 72. The relativeconcentration of the electrowon and electrorefined materials can beadjusted by adjusting voltage 68 relative to voltage 70.

In particular embodiments of the present invention, second anode 56comprises graphite, and the first anode comprises a titanium material,such as, for example, a titanium reactant 66. (It is noted that althoughanodic reactant 66 is shown separately coupled to anodic component 54,the invention encompasses alternative embodiments (not shown) whereinanodic component 54 itself comprises the titanium material, and whereinthe separate anodic material 66 is not utilized).

Generally, voltage 68 and voltage 70 are determined by the desired halfreactions at each anode and at cathode. In an exemplary case, thedesired half reaction at anode 54 is Ti−2e=Ti²⁺; whereas at anode 56 areaction of fluorine gas generation is desired: 2F⁻−2e=F₂. At thecathode, two reaction are desirable: Ti²⁺+2e=Ti and Ta⁵⁺+5e=Ta. Voltage68 and voltage 70 should be large enough to ensure that these reactionstake place. The relative magnitude of voltage 68 to voltage 70 candictate the amount of titanium transferred to product 72. Specifically,if the magnitude of voltage 68 is reduced relative to the magnitude ofvoltage 70, less titanium will be transferred to product 72.Accordingly, a relative concentration of tantalum in material 72 can bedecreased by decreasing the magnitude of voltage 68 relative to themagnitude of voltage 70. In particular applications, the magnitude ofvoltage 68 relative to voltage 70 will be fixed during formation ofproduct 72. In other applications, the magnitude of voltage 68 will bevaried relative to the magnitude of voltage 70 during product formation,and such can cause a relative concentration of tantalum and titanium tobe varied within product 72.

In particular embodiments, first anode 54 and second anode 56 can bothcomprise titanium, but at different concentrations relative to oneanother. In such applications, the relative concentration of titanium inmaterial 72 can still be adjusted by adjusting the potential 68 relativeto the potential 70. Specifically, if anode 54 comprises a higherconcentration of titanium than anode 56, then a higher relativemagnitude of potential 68 to potential 70 will result in more titaniumbeing electrorefined in product 72 than would be electrorefined with alower relative magnitude of potential 68 to potential 70.

In still other particular embodiments of the present invention, anode 56will not comprise an element which is to be electrorefined, but willinstead comprise, for example, carbon, and will therefore be utilizedfor electrowinning only. For instance, anode 56 can predominantlycomprise carbon (for example, graphite), consist essentially of carbon,or consist of carbon.

Although the embodiment of FIG. 2 is described as forming a mixed metalproduct comprising two different elements, it is to be understood thatthe embodiment can be utilized for forming mixed metal productscomprising more than two elements. For instance, multiple elements canbe electrorefined and combined with an electrowon element to formproduct 72. Alternatively, multiple elements can be electrowon andcombined with an electrorefined element. In yet other alternativeembodiments, multiple materials can be electrorefined and combined withmultiple materials which are simultaneously electrowon to form theresultant product.

Once a mixed metal product is formed (either 28 of FIG. 1 or 72 of FIG.2, for example) the mixed metal product can be subjected to furtherprocessing to yield a material suitable for industrial applications. Forinstance, the mixed metal product can be melted and cast into an ingotform. Since the mixed metal product is formed by codeposition of two ormore metals, it is essentially microscopically homogeneous and thedeposition process can be, in fact, an alloying process. The meltingpoint of the alloyed mixed metal product will be between the meltingpoints of the constituent metal elements. For a mixed titanium-tantalumproduct, this means that it will melt below 2996° C., but above 1670° C.The actual melting temperature is dependent on the proportions of bothelements. A lower melting temperature can make a melting process mucheasier. Accordingly, a mixed metal product of this invention comprisinga titanium/tantalum alloy can be a more suitable feedstock for meltingand forming tantalum-containing ingots than would be a materialcomprising pure tantalum or a material mixture comprising pure tantalumand pure titanium in a non-alloyed state.

The relative amount of tantalum and titanium in product 28 (or product72), and in melted ingots formed from the product, can be adjusted sothat either titanium or tantalum is the predominant material. Furtherproduct 28 or melted ingots can consist essentially of, or consist of,titanium and tantalum. Ingots can be subjected to metallurgicalprocessing (such as, for example, hot forging, hot or cold rolling,extrusion and thermal treatments,) to adjust textures and/or grain sizeswithin the materials of the ingots to desired parameters. Attentionshould be paid to the solubility of tantalum in titanium duringmetallurgical processing. The solubility of tantalum in titanium at 600°C. is about 12%. It reduces during cooling, and is, for example, onlyabout 7% at 400° C. Thus, tantalum-rich precipitates can form duringcooling from a melting temperature or another higher processingtemperature, when tantalum exceeds its solubility in titanium. In alloyswith a low tantalum content, this is not a problem. But for highertantalum content, say higher than 7%, the precipitation could beundesirable. A method of reducing precipitate formation is to rapidlyquench the titanium/tantalum mixed metal product so that the tantalum islocked within the titanium matrix before the tantalum has an opportunityto form precipitates. The temperature and rate of the quench procedureare preferably chosen such that there is effectively no tantalum-richprecipitate present within the titanium/tantalum material after it hasbeen quenched. A suitable fluid for quenching the titanium/tantalummaterial is a liquid, such as, for example, water or oil.

Another way to prevent or reduce precipitation is to apply powdermetallurgy to form parts. The mixed metal product 28 or 72 isessentially free of segregation. When pressed into shapes and sinteredat a suitable temperature, parts can be free of precipitates and free ofsegregation. Therefore, the mixed metal product 28 or 72 can beconsidered a better starting material for a powder process than would bea material having a higher amount of segregation between elementalconstituents of the material.

The discussion above is directed toward forming titanium/tantalummaterials predominately comprising titanium and having effectively notantalum-rich precipitates therein. Methodology of the present inventioncan also be utilized to form titanium materials having tantalum-richprecipitates therein. Such materials can be formed if a tantalumconcentration exceeds the solubility of tantalum in titanium. A suitablethermomechanical process including forging, and/or rolling, and/orextrusion, and heat treatment can be performed to control the size, theshape and the distribution of the tantalum-rich precipitates.

The thermo-mechanically processed material can be shaped into a formsuitable for desired industrial applications. For instance, the materialcan be shaped into a PVD target, such as, for example, a sputteringtarget.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate exemplary embodiments of a PVD target assembly.Specifically, FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an assembly 100 comprising asputtering target 102 bonded to a backing plate 104. The shownconstruction is an ENDURA™ construction, but it is to be understood thatthe invention can be utilized for forming other PVD targetconstructions. Further, although the shown embodiment has a sputteringtarget 102 bonded to a backing plate 104, it is to be understood thatthe invention also encompasses embodiments wherein the mixed metaltarget is a monolithic target. In such embodiments, the mixed metal canbe formed into a target having a shape of apparatus 100, and accordinglywherein there is no backing plate 104. The mixed metal product can beformed into a target shape (such as, for example, the shape of target102; or the shape of a monolithic target) by conventional metal-workingmethodology.

It can be advantageous to have a target 102 comprising a mixture oftantalum and titanium. For instance, PVD targets are frequently utilizedfor sputter deposition of tantalum in forming semiconductorconstructions. Tantalum can be a desired barrier layer in constructionscomprising copper, in that tantalum can impede copper diffusion.However, tantalum is a relatively expensive material. Accordingly, itcan be desired to form targets wherein tantalum is diluted withinanother, less expensive, material; and then to sputter-deposittantalum-containing films from such targets.

It can be advantageous to utilize methodology of the present inventionfor forming products comprising mixtures of titanium and tantalum, inthat it is typically difficult to mix tantalum and titanium.Specifically, tantalum and titanium have significantly different meltingpoints from one another (1670° C. for titanium and 2996° C. fortantalum) and significantly different densities (4.5 grams/centimeter³for titanium and 16 grams/centimeter³ for tantalum). Accordingly,segregation between titanium and tantalum frequently happens duringeither melting or powder processing of titanium and tantalum in attemptsto form mixtures of titanium and tantalum by conventional methodology.However, methodology of the present invention can form productscomprising mixtures of titanium and tantalum with little or nosegregation of titanium and tantalum within the products.

Exemplary targets comprising tantalum diluted in another material aretargets comprising a mixture of tantalum and titanium. In particularapplications, such targets can consist essentially of a mixture oftantalum and titanium, and in further applications such targets canconsist of a mixture of tantalum and titanium. Further, the targets canbe provided to a purity of 99.9% (3N) or higher (with the percentagebeing expressed in terms of weight percent; and with it being understoodthat percentage purities expressed herein are in terms of weight percentunless stated otherwise), with desired purities being 99.99%, 99.995%,99.999%, 99.9995%, or higher. Such purities can be obtained bymethodology of the present invention, in that electrorefining andelectrowinning methodology of the present invention can be utilized as apurification step, in addition to a step involved in formation of amixed metal product. Further, if it is desired to increase a purity of amixed metal product, such can be accomplished utilizing conventionalprocesses, such as, for example, e-beam melting.

In particular applications, a sputtering target of the present inventionwill comprise tantalum and titanium; consist of tantalum and titanium,or consist essentially of tantalum and titanium. An exemplary target cancomprise tantalum and titanium present to 99.9% purity or higher, andwill comprise a tantalum concentration of greater than 0% and less than12%. The tantalum concentration can, for example, be from about 5% toabout 12%; or from about 7% to about 12%. Alternatively, the target cancomprise titanium to a concentration of at least about 50%, and cancomprise tantalum to a concentration of less than or equal to about 50%.In other alternative embodiments, the target can comprise more than 50%tantalum, with the remainder of the target being titanium; with anexemplary PVD target consisting of tantalum and titanium, and having atantalum concentration greater than or equal to about 5 weight percentand less than or equal to about 95 weight percent.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrolytically formed material whichcomprises a mixture of tantalum and titanium; and which is at least 99.9weight percent tantalum and titanium.
 2. The material of claim 1comprising at least about 50 weight percent titanium.
 3. The material ofclaim 1 comprising greater than a weight percent tantalum and less thanor equal to about 12 weight percent tantalum.
 4. The material of claim 1comprising greater than or equal to about 7 weight percent tantalum andless than or equal to about 12 weight percent tantalum.
 5. The materialof claim 1 being in the shape of a PVD target.
 6. A material whichconsists essentially of at least one first element selected from thegroup consisting of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium;and at least one second element selected from the group consisting ofvanadium and nickel; and wherein the material comprises the tantalum toa concentration of greater than or equal to about 5 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 7. The material of claim6 comprising the tantalum to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 5 weight percent and less than or equal to about 25 weightpercent.
 8. The material of claim 6 comprising the tantalum to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 25 weight percent andless than or equal to about 50 weight percent.
 9. The material of claim6 comprising the tantalum to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 50 weight percent and less than or equal to about 75 weightpercent.
 10. The material of claim 6 comprising the tantalum to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 75 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 11. A material whichconsists essentially of at least one first element selected from thegroup consisting of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium;end at least one second element selected from the group consisting ofvanadium and nickel; and wherein the material comprises the titanium toa concentration of greater than or equal to about 5 weight percent andless than or equal to about 25 weight percent.
 12. A material whichconsists essentially of at leant one first element selected from thegroup consisting of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium;and at least one second element selected from the group consisting ofvanadium and nickel; and wherein the material comprises the hafnium to aconcentration of greater then or equal to about 5 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 13. The material of claim12 comprising the hafnium to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 5 weight percent and less than or equal to about 25 weightpercent.
 14. The material of claim 12 comprising the hafnium to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 25 weight percent andless than or equal to about 50 weight percent.
 15. The material of claim12 comprising the hafnium to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 50 weight percent and less than or equal to about 75 weightpercent.
 16. The material of claim 12 comprising the hafnium to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 75 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 17. A material whichconsists essentially of at least one first element selected from thegroup consisting of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium;and at least one second element selected from the group consisting ofvanadium and nickel; and wherein the material comprises the niobium to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 5 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 18. The material of claim17 comprising the niobium to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 5 weight percent and less than or equal to about 28 weightpercent.
 19. The material of claim 17 comprising the niobium to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 25 weight percent andless than or equal to about 50 weight percent.
 20. The material of claim17 comprising the niobium to a concentration of greater than or equal toabout 50 weight percent and less than or equal to about 75 weightpercent.
 21. The material of claim 17 comprising the niobium to aconcentration of greater than or equal to about 75 weight percent andless than or equal to about 95 weight percent.
 22. A material whichconsists essentially of at least one first element selected from thegroup consisting of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium;and at least one second element selected from the group consisting ofvanadium end nickel; and wherein the material comprises the zirconium toa concentration of greater than or equal to about 5 weight percent andless than or equal to about 25 weight percent.
 23. The material of claim22 being in the shape of a PVD target.
 24. A PVD target which consistsessentially of Hf and Cr.